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Former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has been lined up as the potential successor to Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, as per reports.
The Englishman took over at Stamford Bridge in the wake of Maurizio Sarri's departure to Juventus and did a commendable job in his first campaign at the club. He guided them to a top-four spot to ensure their participation in the UEFA Champions League this year.
However, their results so far on the back of one of Chelsea' most historic transfer windows have been far from impressive, and Roman Abramovich is reportedly displeased with the English manager.
Ex-Juventus boss Allegri lined up for Chelsea job
As per reports in Italy, Roman Abramovich has personally earmarked Allegri for the Chelsea job in the event of Frank Lampard's potential sacking.
Chelsea have picked up just eight points out of a possible 15 so far and faced elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of former Blues legend Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur. Despite having almost all of their star attackers on the pitch against Sevilla, their UEFA Champions League campaign opener ended in a 0-0 draw as well.
What has been particularly concerning for Chelsea has been their lack of a solid defensive structure.
This has been a problem area for the former Premier League champions since Lampard's previous season as Chelsea ended the campaign with the most number of goals conceded by any club in the top half of the campaign.
In all competitions, they conceded over a staggering 70 goals, further highlighting the issues at the back for Chelsea.
Although it's quite early into the season, the situation hasn't appeared to have gotten any better this year. Only Liverpool (13) have conceded more goals than Chelsea (nine) this year in the top half of the table, with the latter having already conceded three goals on two separate occasions which came as part of 3-3 draws.
Allegri, on the other hand, is a certified title-winner with Juventus after guiding them to five successive Serie A titles and four Coppas Italia in five years. The Italian tactician has proven to be an incredible coach in the past, and his knack of getting results out of his side makes him a dependable option for any ambitious club.
The 53-year-old's experience and excellent record could be the reasons for Abramovich reportedly earmarking him as a replacement for Lampard. The report also added that the Russian oligarch has no room for sentiment, and will not hesitate to sack the club legend should he feel the club is stagnating under the Englishman.
